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Power cord upgrade for ATC 100A Active Speakers

Hello:

I've just acquired a pair of ATC SCM100A active speakers, and I'm wondering what other users of ATC actives have done regarding stock PCs versus upgraded PCs.

I did a quick test of a cheap PC versus a Cardas Clear Beyond Power cable, and was surprised to NOT hear a big difference, given that the same cable made a huge difference in my previous (passive) system (a Benchmark AHB2 and SCM 40s).

In that setup, the Beyond PC increased the mid/lower bass, and provided more slam and musicality.  It felt like a component-level upgrade.  I expected a similar improvement with the 100As...not that they sounded lean in any way with the stock PC.

Would love to hear from other ATC active owners who upgraded their PCs.  What did you choose?  Did you find a big difference, or was it just a box-checker?

Thanks in advance for your advice/experience in this matter.

Best, JAMES

jimboman

Showing 2 responses by buellrider97

buellrider97's avatar
buellrider97
663 posts
 

Do you have dedicated power lines ? If you are running your system off 1 or 2 , 15 amp circuits that usually are available will most likely impact your performance. I’m currently doing a remodel and plan on adding a pair of dedicated 20 amp circuits for my system. Currently I have found a slight improvement with modest priced outlets and modest priced power cord upgrades. Once again we’re subject to someone preaching an absolute to others colored with insults. Maybe he could get off his opinionated ass and go to someone’s house that can demonstrate a difference. I know that based on my actual experience that I had slight gains in about half of my power cord experiments. BTW when I had my Rogue M-180 monos upgraded to Dark status , I had to pony up $250 for the rhodium binding posts, for me a total waste of money. But Rogue would not put the “ Dark “ certification stickers on unless I went full upgrade. So I paid $250 for an “ EGO “ sticker.  So yes I am aware of Bias Confirmation , but as Rule 62 states “ Don’t take myself too Damn Seriously “. Cheers , Mike B. 

buellrider97's avatar
buellrider97
663 posts
 

Yes , I get it. For me that’s my current bottleneck. I’m not running high power SS gear so I’m not suffering too much. FWIT , I installed a pair of the better Hubble medical outlets on my existing 15 amp circuit. They happen to be 20 amp outlets but that doesn’t matter as I’m aware not to overload the circuit. I have a new service panel and copper wiring. I run a Richard Gray power filter that has a super beefy factory cord. Due to having the 20 amp outlets I purchased a Shunyata Venom HP 20 amp cord to try. I have Morrow level 4 and Analysis Plus cords to my gear. When I switched to the Shunyata cord that essentially feeds everything else the change was very noticeable. I apologize for being a snippy old B , but I have found that wire CAN make a difference for me in my system. And being an old dinosaur I came from the camp that wire is wire and spiked speakers are the best. You can teach an old dog new tricks but he still occasionally pees on the floor. Chers and Happy Hunting. 

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